Emerging Disease: Tar Spot Emerging Disease: Tar Spot As the disease continues to spread and impact Ontario’s corn crop, it’s important that producers are informed about how to identify tar spot and which resources are available to monitor it in their area and beyond.
Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Imagine a world where you could see into the future. What would it be like if you could predict the weather? If you could predict which insects, diseases or other issues would affect your crop and what this would mean for final yields.
Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better More isn’t always better when it comes to applying nitrogen fertilizer – agronomically or financially – certainly not in the face of federal goals to slash nitrous oxide emissions.
Populations: Do They Matter? Populations: Do They Matter? The No. 1 question I get as a seed agronomist is, "What is the ideal population for corn and soybeans?"
Battery Energy Storage Systems Battery Energy Storage Systems Rural municipalities across Ontario have been receiving proposals for the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) over the past few years.
Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Ontario's farmland remains valuable despite other economic hardships.
Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Thank goodness for winter agronomy meetings. They allow growers and ag industry folks to get together and see what is working in agriculture.
Farm Payroll Practices Farm Payroll Practices How Ontario farm workers get compensated has become more formalized and organized, and both employees and employers are seeing the benefits.
Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration 'The best management systems for soil carbon are the ones that we don't touch.'
When Biology Meets Chemistry When Biology Meets Chemistry Biological amendments are relatively new to the conventional row crop world and can be a great way for Ontario growers to better utilize nutrition.
Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. 'Read the label. That's everything you need to know about the product.'
Control What You Can! Control What You Can! Use a multi-system approach to weed control against resistant species. Ask any farmer about weeds and they want them gone.
Business Management: Still Room to Improve Business Management: Still Room to Improve Despite a growing need for a more business-oriented approach to farming, not all Ontario producers are adopting the tools they'll need to ride out challenging times.
Retirement 101: Keeping Active Retirement 101: Keeping Active Are you one of those people who don't want to retire? Perhaps you enjoy what you do and don't want to quit.
Does kernel Size Matter? Does kernel Size Matter? Recording these finer details will allow you to manage for larger yield increases.
Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Looking ahead to next growing season, you can be sure these uninvited guests will return, to compete with crops, steal essential nutrients, water and sunlight, and hinder profitability.
The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes, also known as the Farm Service Force, were created in 1941 to fill the demand for farm labour created by the Second World War.
Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? An adequate, well-balanced fertility program will ensure your crops are healthy.
Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Be proactive with your accountants throughout the year; don't wait until year-end to engage.
Choosing A Guidance System Choosing A Guidance System Guidance systems have become commonplace on Ontario farms as precision agriculture technologies grow in popularity.
Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work With harvest complete, focus shifts to seed selection for the 2024 growing season and beyond.
Farm Antiques & Collectables Farm Antiques & Collectables Do you have a collector on your shopping list this holiday season?
'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations 'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations The OFA created the Revive Fund in 2020 to support projects created by regional federations to improve their rural communities.
Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Going forward as an industry the biggest limiting factor to higher yields will be water availability.
Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers could use relief from high interest rates, but aren't likely to get any soon, leaving them to mitigate the challenges themselves.
'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' 'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' Ontario has 114 provincially licensed abattoirs that specialize in the slaughter of food animals and play a key role in the value chain of livestock production.
Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson's passion for growing his local community in Grey County has led to a long career with international impacts.
Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs With concerns for soil health, many producers look for alternatives to conventional tillage.
'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' 'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' Historically, fall harvest was never truly considered complete until the moldboard plow had passed through the fields.
Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that I am addicted to the weather.
Is it still possible to start a farm? Is it still possible to start a farm? 'Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.' Starting a business in any industry is a challenging endeavour.
Farm Transition Increasingly Complex Farm Transition Increasingly Complex More farm wealth than ever before is passing from one generation to the next.
Winning with Winter Wheat Winning with Winter Wheat Start with Soybean Harvest, Then Timely Wheat Planting with a Starter Fertilizer.
One on One with Mack Emiry One on One with Mack Emiry When Mack Emiry, a dairy farmer from Massey, found out he was selected to be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame this year, he was surprised.
Working With Family Working With Family 'I Want Farm Families to See Conflict as a Good Thing that Can Be Resolved.' Most farms in Canada are owned, operated, and passed down through families.
Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' If you have children, you know that throughout their life, they can challenge you daily. Ask yourself, have your ever given up on your children?
Dale Cowan. A go-to person for Agriculture Dale Cowan. A go-to person for Agriculture In a career of more than 40 years and counting, Dale Cowan has cultivated a reputation for his mentorship skills.
Understanding Ontario's Custom Farming Rates Understanding Ontario's Custom Farming Rates Considering the costs of the latest farm equipment and technology, more and more producers are opting to hire agri-contractors for one or more field operations.
Report Card Time Report Card Time Back in the good old days I dreaded grade school spring report card time. I was always worried about what my parents would think when they saw my report.
Keep Your Soybeans Clean Keep Your Soybeans Clean In 2022, Ontario producers cropped an impressive 3,080,400 acres of soybeans according to Statistics Canada.
Learning Some New Tricks (Teaching an Old Dog) Learning Some New Tricks (Teaching an Old Dog) We in agriculture are lucky. Every year we can look back at our growing season and learn new management strategies to enhance yields in the upcoming one.
Ag Co-ops: Training Our Next Generation Ag Co-ops: Training Our Next Generation Farms and agricultural businesses continue to struggle with labour shortages, and an aging population of farmers means that many are looking toward the next generation.
Will Your Next Pickup Be Electric? Will Your Next Pickup Be Electric? Production expands to offer more zero-emission trucks for potential farm use.
Making the Most of Your 2023 Winter Wheat Crop Making the Most of Your 2023 Winter Wheat Crop After a long and warm fall, OMAFRA predicts that there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of winter wheat acres planted in Ontario.
Planting Depth or Population Planting Depth or Population Being in the seed industry, probably the most common questions I am asked are:
Protecting Your Yield & the Environment Protecting Your Yield & the Environment Environmental best management practices in the agricultural sector are activities that reduce risk to the environment stemming from agricultural operations.
Managing Farm Plastic Managing Farm Plastic Plastic products have contributed to many advancements in agriculture and are used daily by farmers, but Ontario producers are also searching for better ways to handle plastic waste.
The Key Times The Key Times It's the cold, crazy days of winter and I am writing this article about harvest time.
The Future of Farming The Future of Farming When looking to the future of your business, there can be an overwhelming number of variables to consider.
Ontario Farmland: What the Market Tells Us Ontario Farmland: What the Market Tells Us Whether you are buying or selling, it pays to be aware. Farmland across the province continues to be in high demand.
The Ontario region names its provincial Outstanding Young Farmers of 2024 Friday, August 30, 2024 Image supplied by Outstanding Young Farmers Partners DJ Wassenaar and Matt Bergman of Haybury Farms Inc., located at Jarvis, were named for 2024 at their regional event held near Guelph on August 22, 2024. Matt Bergman grew up on a dairy farm and started farming for himself at the... Read this article online
Easy and Convenient Organization – Wherever You Go Friday, August 30, 2024 Byline: Nevan Hagarty and Braxten Breen It’s hard enough to maintain good organization on the farm, but when it comes to your tool bench, that’s where the real challenge begins. Not knowing where tools are, misplacing small fasteners and fittings, and forgetting that one specific... Read this article online
Agri-Tech innovation gets $22.6M boost in Ontario Friday, August 30, 2024 Investments in everything from electric sprayer for its field nursery crops to reverse osmosis equipment Ontario and Canada have jointly invested up to $22.6 million to support businesses in adopting innovative technologies and practices. The investments are to enhance the efficiency and... Read this article online
Ecorobotix appoints CEO for Swiss company’s NA division Thursday, August 29, 2024 Image supplied by Ecorobotix Inc. Ecorobotix Inc., the North American division of the Swiss ag tech and AI company, Ecorobotix SA, has appointed Cameron Holbrook as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ecorobotix Inc., established in 2023 and based in Salinas, California, brings the... Read this article online
OFA asking farmers to take Cultivating Local survey Thursday, August 29, 2024 The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is asking farmers to complete a survey about local selling opportunities. The organization is giving producers until Sept. 16 to fill out the Cultivating Local survey. “We’re looking to better understand farmers that are already or who want... Read this article online